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Gunnar Einarson
Human sentinel 1 (Vanguard Sentinel)
NG Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +7
Defense
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +2 shield)
hp 15 (1d12+3)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +5
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee broadsword +4 (2d4+2)
Special Attacks guardian’s challenge +1
Guile
Skill Leverage 1 (Profession/sailor, Swim); Trade Tradition Viking; OAM Con (+3)
Navigation Sphere - Package Nautical (Profession [sailor] 1 rank); Talents none; Utility Talents none
- acclimate (aquatic adaptation: ignore penalties to attacks when underwater, hold breath longer, +1 competence to Swim checks)
- pathing (clear shot: ignore soft cover, partial cover, or partial concealment provided by objects or effects)
Vocation Sphere - Utility Talents Guide, Pirate
- guide (trade) (utility) (Knowledge [geography], Knowledge [nature], Ride, Survival); use Ride check in place of a Handle Animal check to interact with a helpful mount).
- pirate (trade) (utility) (Appraise, Climb, Intimidate, Swim; use Acrobatics or Climb modifier on Acrobatics checks to balance and Climb checks to swing on a rope)
Magic
Caster Level 1; MSB +1, MSD 12, Concentration +4
Tradition Viking (Drawbacks: Madness Mantra, Lycanthropic [Alteration]; Boons: +1 spell point, +1 per six levels in casting classes); CAM Con
Spell Points 5
Bear Sphere - DC 13; Duration 1 min/level; Range Personal; Talents Angry Bear; Drawbacks none
- Bear Spirit
- Bearacteristics (Bear’s Strength, Angry Bear)
Martial
Tradition Viking (Berserker sphere: Juggernaut; Equipment sphere: Custom Training; Guardian sphere); PAM Con
Berserker sphere - DC 13, Talents Juggernaut, Drawbacks none
- berserking (take a penalty to AC in exchange for temporary hit points during a round)
- brutal strike (inflict the battered condition with a successful attack)
- adrenaline (juggernaut: ignore difficult terrain when you charge, run, or withdraw, charge through squares containing allies, ignore penalties on AC to charge and increase bonus on attacks and bull rush by 1 while charging)
Equipment sphere - DC 13, Talents Armor Training, Custom Training
- armor training (proficiency with medium and heavy armor)
- custom training (discipline) (proficiency with broadsword, greatsword, longbow, battle axe, and greataxe)
- shield training (discipline) (proficiency with all shields and shield bashes)
Guardian sphere- DC 13, Package Patrol, Talents Defend Other, Drawbacks none
- patrol (increase threatened area by 5 ft. as a full-round action)
- defend other (grant an ally within your threatened zone a competence bonus to their AC equal to ½ your BAB against an attack. and take the damage their place; you may move to put the ally within your reach)
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 10
Traits Adopted, Adventurous Explorer, Armor Expert
Feats Extra Combat Talent*, Weapon Focus (broadsword)
Skills Intimidate +4, Perception +7, Profession (sailor) +7, Sense Motive +7, Swim +6
Languages Common, Halfling, Norse
SQ entropy pool (3), frontline guardian, wise reflexes (Con)
Gear barbarian’s kit (9 gp), broadsword (20 gp), heavy steel shield (20 gp), longbow (75 gp) with 20 arrows (1 gp), scale mail (50 gp)
Bear Sphere You channel the frightening power of the bear.
Bear: Bear Spirit As a swift action, you may channel the spirit of the bear into yourself. This lasts for 1 minute per caster level. While you are thus channeling the spirit of the bear, you are considered to have the animal creature type in addition to your own creature type, and gain the benefits of the Endurance feat. If you already possess the Endurance feat, double all of its numerical benefits.
While you are under the effects of the bear spirit, you have the ability to activate certain powers, bonuses, and abilities, known as bearacteristics. Talents marked (bearacteristic) grant you additional bearacteristics. If a bearacteristic grants a constant benefit, the benefit lasts until the end of the bear spirit channeling; refreshing the bear spirit ends, rather than refreshes, these bearacteristics. When you first gain the Bear sphere, you gain access to the following bearacteristic:
Bear: Bear Strength (bearacteristic) You may spend a spell point as a free action when making a melee attack roll. You gain a bonus equal to ½ your caster level (minimum 1) to your attack and damage roll. If using this ability in conjunction with making an unarmed strike, that attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Bear: Angry Bear (bearacteristic) While channeling a bear spirit, you may spend a spell point as a free action to enter into a rage, as the barbarian class feature. This rage lasts for 1 round per caster level (or until the bear spirit ends), and you are fatigued afterward as normal. Unlike with most magic, you may continue to use Bear sphere abilities even while under the effects of this rage.
Berserker Sphere Berserkers are indomitable warriors with boundless reservoirs of endurance and unmatched destructive potential. Practitioners of the Berserker sphere gain the following abilities:
Berserker: Berserking As a free action at the start of each turn, you may choose to take a -2 penalty to AC in exchange for 3 temporary hit points. The penalty and the temporary hit points end at the start of your next turn. For every point of base attack bonus you have, the granted temporary hit points increase by 1.
See Adrenaline talents, below, for alternative benefits to gaining temporary hit points while berserking.
Berserker: Brutal Strike As a special attack action, you may make a melee attack against a target. Creatures damaged by a brutal strike gain the battered condition until the end of your next turn. You may expend martial focus to have the attack deal additional damage equal to twice your base attack bonus.
Each brutal strike may be modified by a single (exertion) talent.
Berserker: Juggernaut (adrenaline) You barrel across the cluttered battlefield more easily than others. You ignore difficult terrain when you charge, run, or withdraw. You can also charge through squares that contain allies. When using the charge action, you do not take a penalty to your AC and increase the bonus on attack rolls and bull rush combat maneuvers at the end of a charge by 1, increasing by +1 for every 10 base attack bonus you possess.
Entropy Pool (Su) At 1st level, the vanguard gains the supernatural ability to control matter as it changes states. This energy takes the form of a pool of entropy points (EP). A vanguard can have a maximum number of EP in her entropic pool equal to her casting ability modifier. This maximum, as well as the number of EP the vanguard starts each encounter with, increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
A vanguard can gain entropy points only when involved in a combat encounter. When combat begins, she gains 1 entropy point at the beginning of your first action; at the end of combat, she loses any entropy points she has remaining. A vanguard can gain entropy points in the following ways.
- While she has no entropy points, a vanguard can gain 1 EP by regaining martial focus.
- Each time the vanguard takes damage equal to or greater than twice her character level from a single attack or effect (after applying any ability to reduce that damage, such as damage reduction or energy resistance), she gains 1 EP. When a vanguard is damaged, she may choose to allow an effect to ignore any damage reduction or energy resistance she possesses. If any of this damage becomes delayed, the vanguard does not gain additional EP when her delayed damage pool empties.
- If the vanguard takes damage from a critical hit, she gains 1 EP in addition to any from the attack’s normal damage.
- If the vanguard scores a critical hit on an enemy, she gains 1 EP.
- If the vanguard moves as part of a full-round action, she gains 1 EP.
Entropy points can be expended in various ways:
- As a free action, a vanguard can expend 1 EP to gain a +10-foot enhancement bonus to her movement speed. This increases by 10 feet at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
- As a move action, a vanguard can expend EP to boost the damage of the next attack she makes before the start of her next turn. She must decide how many EP to expend when you take this move action, and she cannot expend more EP than her vanguard level. If the boosted entropic strike hits, it deals +1d4 points of damage for every EP expended.
- Whenever a vanguard takes damage, she may spend 1 EP to reduce the damage by twice her vanguard level.
- Whenever a sentinel ability would require the expenditure of a reserve point, the vanguard may instead expend an equal amount of EP. The vanguard may not spend multiple EP on a single use of an ability.
This replaces sentinel's reserve.
Equipment: Armor Training You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor. If you are already proficient with light armor, you instead gain proficiency with medium armor and heavy armor. You may take this talent up to two times.
Equipment: Custom Training (discipline) Select 5 weapons; you gain proficiency with the selected weapons. Exotic weapons count as two weapons against your total (so you could gain 1 exotic weapon proficiency and proficiency in 3 martial or simple weapons, or proficiency in 2 exotic weapons and 1 martial or simple weapon). You may take this talent multiple times, selecting new weapons each time.
Equipment: Shield Training (discipline) You gain proficiency with all shields, including tower shields, and are proficient in all shield bashes. Associated Feat: Shield Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency.
Frontline Guardian (Ex) A vanguard gains the Guardian sphere as a bonus sphere, although she must select the Bodyguard drawback. If she already possesses the Guardian sphere she must take the Defend Other talent. If she already possesses the Guardian sphere and the Defend Other talent, she instead gains a Guardian talent for which she qualifies.
A vanguard uses her casting ability modifier in place of her Wisdom modifier for sentinel class abilities.
This replaces defender’s soul.
Guardian Challenge (Ex) At 1st level, whenever a sentinel uses the challenge ability of the Guardian sphere, for the duration of the challenge she gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against a challenged creature. At 5th level and every four levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by +1, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level.
Guardian Sphere Guardians specialize in protecting their allies and drawing the ire of their enemies.
You gain a delayed damage pool equal to your 3 x your base attack bonus. When you receive damage, as part of taking the damage you may redirect all or part of it to your delayed damage pool. Apply damage reduction and resistance before redirecting the damage. You may not redirect damage that would exceed the maximum capacity of the damage pool. Your delayed damage pool empties at the end of your turn each round, inflicting any damage stored in the pool on you, bypassing any damage reduction or resistance you possess and resetting to 0. Any additional effects of the attack, such as poison, are still incurred immediately even if the entire damage of the attack is redirected to the delayed damage pool. Any healing you receive in excess of your maximum hp automatically reduces the amount of damage in your delayed damage pool.
Should you lose access to the Guardian sphere, any damage (or other effects if you possess certain talents) is incurred at the end of your turn.
In addition, choose one of the following packages:
Guardian: Patrol As long as you have martial focus, as a full-round action you may increase your threatened area by 5 ft., +5 ft. for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This increased threatened area is applied after the effects of the reach weapon special feature. Until the beginning of your next turn, you may make attacks of opportunity against any creature in this threatened area that provokes attacks of opportunity. You may move to bring the creature that provokes the attack of opportunity within your reach as part of these attacks, provided your total movement before your next turn does not exceed your base speed. Any movement you make provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Associated Feat: Combat Patrol.
Talents with the (zone) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each patrol may only benefit from one (zone) talent.
Guardian: Defend Other When an ally within your threatened area is the target of an attack roll, you may spend an immediate action to grant them a competence bonus to their armor class equal to ½ your base attack bonus (rounded down, minimum +1) against that attack. If this attack would still hit, you may choose to take the damage in your ally’s place.
If you possess the (patrol) package, when using this talent you may move to put the ally within your reach (with the normal limits for moving as part of your patrol) as part of activating this talent.
Madness Mantra Your magic fights against you for control. At the end of any round in which you spend 1 or more spell points you must succeed at a Will saving throw with a DC of 10 + 1/2 your magic skill bonus or enter into an enraged state at the beginning of your next turn. While enraged, you gain the antagonized condition, always treating the creature(s) closest to you as your antagonist(s).
The GM may rule that the nature of your power will make you focus specifically on your allies, or beings of great importance to you (for example power that comes from a demon bound inside you may cause you to inflict harm to those you value the most before it can be contained).
When you attempt a Sense Motive check to end the antagonized condition, the skill check is made against your own magic skill defense + your casting ability modifier (minimum DC 15).
Incompatible: Emotional Casting
Navigation Sphere Operatives of the Navigation sphere learn to survive and operate in a wide variety of environments, studying their surroundings in order to best navigate or control them. They are skilled pathfinders and transporters, capable of finding the best route to any location and the best method of getting there. On a grand scale, an adventurer skilled in navigation can traverse any territory with ease, while in the heat of the moment their abilities enable impressive tactical maneuvers.
Associated Skill: One skill of your choice from your chosen package below.
You gain the following benefits when you gain the Navigation sphere.
You gain 5 ranks in one of the package's associated skills, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Navigation sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the associated skill you may immediately retrain them.
Skill Leverage: You unlock skill leverage with the associated skills of your package.
Package: When you gain the Navigation sphere, you gain one of the following packages with its included acclimation. You may take the Expanded Wayfarer talent to gain additional packages.
You also acquire the Acclimate and Pathing abilities.
Navigation: Acclimate (Ex) By spending 10 minutes, you acclimate yourself and a number of allies or vehicles up to your operative ability modifier (minimum 1). You grant the benefits of up to two acclimations you know to them. If you grant two acclimations to a target (or more, by using the Layered Acclimation talent), at least one of these acclimations must always be from a base package or a [utility] (acclimation) talent. You may apply different acclimations to different targets. The benefits of acclimation last for 24 hours or until you change them.
Navigation: Pathing (Ex) Operatives of the Navigation sphere are able to point out paths through their environment that allies can utilize. As a standard action, you may select a number of contiguous 5-foot squares within close range equal to your operative ability modifier + the number of ranks you possess in the associated skill, applying the effects of a (pathing) talent to the area. You must be able to see all squares in the area to target them with pathing. An area remains affected for 24 hours or until you use this ability again. This is an auditory effect on your allies. You gain the Clear Shot (pathing) talent when you gain this sphere.
Navigation: Clear Shot (pathing) Allies within your pathing ignore any partial cover or partial concealment provided by objects or effects that are inside the area of your pathing but do not target individual creatures. Allies within your pathing treat standard cover from inside the area as partial cover. In addition, their total penalties on Perception checks for observing targets within the area of your pathing are reduced by 2, plus an additional 1 for every 5 ranks you have in one of your associated skills. If you have at least 10 ranks in an associated skill, allies also treat total concealment as partial concealment.
Navigation: Nautical You gain the following acclimation:
- Aquatic Adaptation: Acclimated targets ignore any penalties to attack rolls from being underwater (including allowing them to use thrown weapons normally underwater), can hold their breath for 2 additional rounds before having to attempt Constitution checks to avoid drowning, and gains a +1 competence bonus to Swim checks. This bonus and the duration of which creatures can hold their breath increases by +1 and 1 round respectively for every 2 ranks you possess in this package's associated skill. If you have at least 5 ranks in this package's associated skill, acclimated creatures also deal full damage with all weapon attacks while underwater. Acclimated vehicles reduce the DC of any Profession (sailor) check attempted to perform actions on them by 1, plus 1 per 4 ranks in this package's associated skill.
Associated Skill: Profession (sailor) or Swim.
Vocation: Guide (trade) [utility] You gain Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Ride, and Survival as class skills. You can attempt a Ride check in place of a Handle Animal check to interact with a mount that is helpful to you while you are touching it.
Vocation: Pirate (trade) [utility] You gain Appraise, Climb, Intimidate, and Swim as class skills. You may use your Climb or Swim modifier in place of Acrobatics to balance.
Wise Reflexes (Ex) A sentinel can use her Wisdom modifier in place of her Dexterity when determining her initiative and Reflex save bonus, although this bonus cannot exceed her class level.
Build
Gunnar is built with a 20-point buy and 140 gp starting wealth. Favored class bonus is increasing the total number of negative hit points you can reach before dying by 2. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Dexterity and Intelligence. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Constitution and Wisdom. Constitution is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic and martial talents and your spell pool, and bolsters your hit points and Fort saves; Wisdom gives you great willpower and betters your Will save. Having a good Strength score is important for your fighting style too, and a high Charisma will allow you to become a beloved ship captain at high levels.
How to Play Gunnar
The son of an exiled viking warrior, Gunnar was adopted by a halfling family when his parents died. He grew up learning to appreciate the halflings’ peaceful lifestyle, but was torn between that and his own yearning for adventure and inclination to violence. His raging powers first manifested when, as an adolescent, he fought to defend the lady of a castle from a giants’ attack, frightening him. Cursed by the ancestral gods of his tribe to risk losing control whenever he uses rage on himself, Gunnar doesn’t wish for anything more than learning to control this power- or get rid of it. Keeping his friends and family safe is just as important for him, and he won’t resort to violence unless it is strictly necessary, for fear of releasing the fury that sleeps in his body.
Future Abilities
Magic Talents Mind Sphere (Empath), Cerebral Strike*, Protection Sphere (Limited Protection [aegis], Protected Soul), Inner Peace*, Reflection*; Utility: Greater Communication, Project Thoughts, Read Mind, Status
Martial Talents Advancing Carnage x2, Armor Expert*, Armored Defense*, Armored Momentum*, Barbaric Throw, Brute Sphere, Cold Iron Call, Durable, Giant, Expanded Guardian*, Immovable Object, Indomitable, Titan, Steel Martyr, Unfettering Armor*, Unstoppable Force; Utility: Muscular Surge
Skill Talents Utility: Communication Sphere, Experienced Navigator, Flawless Rapport, Lay of the Land, Triumphant Arrival, Veiled Dialogue*
Feats Endurance, Extra Combat Talent x5, Extra Spell Points, Power Attack, Toughness, True Rage
Expanded Energies Cascade, Exergy, Residue, Turbulence
Skills: Intimidate, Profession (sailor), Survival, and Swim are the most useful skills for this build.
